BURNSVILLE, Minn. – After collecting two NSIC championship titles at the recent conference meet, Augustana’s own Ryan Hartman has been named the NSIC Outdoor Men’s Track Athlete of the Year, league officials announced Thursday.
 
He becomes the fourth men’s track and field athlete in program history to earn the conference honor.
 
Hartman has continued to dominant competition in multiple events in his last season at Augustana. He took home two top finishes in the final day of the NSIC Championship meet, cruising to first in the 1500-meter run in 3:49.24 and first in the 5000-meter run in 14:40.75. He was a member of the Augustana men’s distance medley relay that rewrote school history with their win at the Drake Relays, which secured both conference and national weekly honors for their performance.
 
He ran two personal bests in those two events earlier in the season out at the 2025 Bryan Clay Invitational, even going so far as to place fourth overall in the 5000-meter run in a loaded field of athletes from across the country. His times in both the 1500-meter and 5000-meter are seeded in the top 15 nationally this season.
 
Hartman will now head to Pueblo, Colorado for the NCAA DII Outdoor Track and Field Championships from May 22 to 24.
 

–GoAugie.com–

Title-holders Ferencvaros enjoyed an easy cruise against Oradea to finish top of Group B and will face Marseille in the semi-finals of the Final Four in Malta. The French fell in Piraeus to eliminated Olympiacos, as the Greeks restored some much-needed pride by ending Marseille’s four-match winning streak with a fine victory. The result allowed Novi Beograd to regain the top spot in Group A, as the Serbs beat Jadran in Split without any headaches. In the semis, the Serbs will meet Barceloneta, who delivered an expected big win over Savona on the final day of the Quarter Final Stage on Wednesday night.

Champions League Men
Quarter Final Stage
Day Six, Wednesday 15th 2025

Group A

VK Jadran Split (CRO) 7-15 VK Novi Beograd (SRB)
Olympiacos SFP (GRE) 12-8 CN Marseille (FRA)

Standings: 1. Novi Beograd 15pts, 2. Marseille 12pts, 3. Olympiacos 7pts, 4. Jadran Split 2pts

Group B

FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) 20-10 CSM Oradea (ROU)
Zodiac CNAB (ESP) 17-10 RN Savona (ITA)

Standings: 1. FTC 16pts, 2. Zodiac CNAB 14pts, 3. Savona 6pts, 4. Oradea 0pts

Champions League Men
Final Four, Semi-Finals
Friday 30th May

FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) v CN Marseille (FRA)
Zodiac CNAB (ESP) v VK Novi Beograd (SRB)

Olympiacos ended their Champions League campaign on a high note, with a convincing win against Marseille. However, it was a mere consolation for the Greeks, who had lost their previous four games and consequently were already heading to the exit before this last round.

The result also dropped the French to second place in Group A, so they now have the daunting task of facing the title-holders FTC in the semis in Malta.

Hosts Olympiacos got off to a flying start in their final game, and several fine finishes from man-ups earned them a 4-1 lead after eight minutes.

Though the second period saw one goal apiece, it was still a crucial phase for Olympiacos, as they managed to kill five of Marseille’s six man-ups. The French side were relentless in attack, demonstrating how keen they were to take the top spot, but they couldn’t outplay the Greek’s disciplined defence.

The third period was a sharp contrast to the first half, as both defences could no longer withhold the powerful forward play. It was an eight-goal blast, four apiece, but Olympiacos never lost control of their lead.

At 9-4, they seemed to have it, but the French giants pulled two back with great action goals from Thomas Vernoux and Vladan Spaic, and Vernoux added another one from a six on five for 9-7 early in the fourth.

The French even had a possession to cut the deficit to one, but Emmanouil Zerdevas produced a fine save and Zalanki’s blast ended Marseille’s momentum.

Indeed, it finished the visitors off, as they were unable to score for seven minutes, while Olympiacos netted two more to bag at least a home win in the Quarter Final Stage.

VK Jadran Split fielded a really young team in the final game, as they rested their star players for the Croatian championship final, where they face tough rivals Mladost. In contrast, NBG didn’t risk anything and sent their best side to the battlefield.

The Serbs also benefited from some weekend rest, as their opponents in the Serbian league, Radnicki, played the Euro Cup final on Saturday against Recco.

Jadran’s young guns managed to keep up with the visitors for eight minutes when they trailed 3-4, but next came three Serbian hits in a row, two from fast counters, finished by Luka Gladovic. He also netted one with three seconds remaining on the clock for a 5-9 half-time lead, which put the writing on the wall for the hosts.

NBG took care of business at the back in the second half, conceding only two more goals, while their attack added six more to their total.

The win landed them the top spot in Group A and a thrilling semi-final match-up with Spaniards Barceloneta.

FTC made no mistakes against Oradea and added three more points with ease. They never let the Romanians think they might have the tiniest chance, as a robust 5-1 start set the tone.

Their rivals fought hard in the second period and trailed 9-5 with 1:39 to go until half-time, but the class of Fradi was demonstrated once more as they took just 36 seconds to add two more – with a penalty save between the two hits – to lead 11-5.

The visitors, coming from a tough semi-final in their league, started running out of steam in the third as Fradi netted four more to stage a 6-0 run in total.

FTC’s defence was less tight in the fourth, as Oradea netted four more – just like they had in the second period – but they couldn’t prevent Fradi from setting a new single-game scoring record in the Quarter Final Stage.

The pressure on the Romanian defence was tremendous, with the number of shots on goal being 30-13, so it was Oradea’s goalies’ 10 stops that saved their team from an even heavier defeat.

Also, the 20 goals Fradi scored equalled Barceloneta’s top effort in the Group Stage – a fine tuning for their Final Four appearance, which is due at the end of May.

Barceloneta weren’t really hoping to reach the first place, as miracles rarely happen in water polo – but the Spaniards still played at full throttle, as they’re preparing for their domestic final and for the Final Four.

Early in the second quarter, Savona managed to pull one goal back for 4-2, but the next phase of the match saw a 6-0 rush from CNAB, and after 10-2 only the winning margin was in question.

It took 11 minutes for the Italians to score again, while Barceloneta led 12-5 after three periods.

The Spaniards’ defence eased up in the fourth, letting Savona double the number of their goals, but it was still a powerful victory for CNAB, with just two of their outfield players failing to make the scoresheet.

–

Watch all the Champions League Men action live on www.euroaquaticstv.com and stay up-to-date with live results/tables and real-time updates through the European Aquatics App. Download it here: Google Play.

Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

Since the dawn of MySpace in 2003, social media use in the United States has continued to grow like a runaway freight train. With every new innovation comes another audience to connect to, engage with, and entertain. For over twenty years, traditional broadcast radio has faced challenges in how to grow audience through social platforms as the industry gives way to a more digitally educated audience with more ease of search and shortened attention spans. Very few sports radio stations have tackled the challenges of growing on social media like SKOR North, headed by Phil Mackey.

For the last 15 years, Mackey has been one of the leading minds with Hubbard Broadcasting in Minnesota, transforming what was ESPN 1500 into SKOR North, a totally digital sports media juggernaut. Mackey, whose background began in traditional sports radio, understands the mistakes that sports radio stations make in regard to how audiences find content in today’s playing field.

“We think of radio as the only distribution platform that we should pour our energy into, and if we get to the other stuff, so be it,” said Mackey. “The problem is when we half-ass those other platforms—social media, the longer form platforms, podcasts, or YouTube—what we’re doing is preventing people from discovering our content.”

A study from Data Reportal shows that of the 411 million mobile connections that were active in the United States in early 2025, it found 253 million total social media user identities, equating to 73% of the population of the country. The highest user bases are found on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, according to the study.

With Social Media Week underway this week, Mackey discussed how, over his time in the sports radio industry, he has seen stations and personalities be too narrow-minded when it comes to reaching the audiences available on social and digital.

“It’s hard to continue to try and keep the legacy business thriving if we’re cutting off all access to younger people that might stumble into our brands,” noted Mackey. “We’ve got to think more about content and brand across all of the platforms, even if radio remains our core business and our legacy business.”

Evolving Sports Radio Into SKOR North

The approach changed for Mackey in the fall of 2018 as he met with Hubbard Radio Minnesota Vice President/Region Manager Dan Seeman and developed a strategy that would transition a traditional radio programming lineup on ESPN 1500 to a compilation of shows and podcasts that migrated to a podcast network. Rebranded as SKOR North, the station continued to produce between six to eight hours of live radio each day. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the country, another transition was made as all the locally created content moved to digital media.

“We thought about radio for decades as the center of the wheel and everything must point back,” said Mackey. “The brand and the content are the center of the wheel, and distribution are the spokes around it. We have to treat all of those platforms, even if they don’t lead directly to revenue right now. We have to treat them as lifelines for the audience.”

For the first time ever, the radio industry’s digital revenue for a calendar year surpassed $2 billion in 2024, according to the latest RAB-Borrell Associates Digital Benchmarking Report. The issue remaining for most sports radio brands is how to truly take a locally produced product for digital and monetize—a struggle that Mackey faced head-on with the transition of SKOR North.

“It’s an education process internally and externally,” explained Mackey. “The content and audience building has been about three years ahead of the revenue building. Early on, we were selling radio spots and throwing in added value for podcast and social media exposure. Now it’s the other way around. Companies are buying the YouTube and podcast product, and we are selling radio completely separately as an ESPN-branded radio station.”

Mackey notes that there is no difference in selling social media or a podcast network compared to a radio program. The characteristics of building an audience, connecting a community, and then connecting the community to local advertisers is the core of how any sales department should approach the task.

“It’s a constant discussion and education process about where media is going and where it is right now,” Mackey says.

Being Social Is No Longer A Choice

The 3.333 GPA earned by the Owls’ 420 student-athletes extends the department’s streak to 20 consecutive semesters with a GPA better than 3.0 and seven consecutive semesters better than 3.1.

 

“We are enjoying one of our most successful spring seasons in terms of athletic success, and to combine that with a record-setting semester in the classroom is an accomplishment that should be a source of pride for our department, our fans and our entire campus community,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White. “I congratulate our student-athletes, especially our 65 newest graduates, and thank our coaches, academic staffs and professors for all they do in ensuring FAU Athletics’ continued academic success.”

 

The 2.98 GPA recorded by the football team was the program’s highest single-semester GPA, as Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Zach Kittley’s team joined women’s cross country (3.750) in setting all-time semester records. Men’s basketball’s 3.032 GPA was its highest in a semester since 2016, while softball’s 3.685 was its highest all-time for a spring semester.

A total of 43 student-athletes completed the spring of 2025 with a perfect 4.0 GPA, including more than 30 who earned a spot on the President’s List. Additionally, 37 were honored as Dean’s List members.

 

The highest team GPA was achieved by women’s cross country (3.750), while the highest on the men’s side was tennis (3.546). Each women’s teams had a GPA of 3.2 or better, with seven achieving better than 3.6. Six men’s teams were above 3.2 for a men’s GPA of 3.168 – also a single-semester record.

The Owls academic success comes during a spring season that has produced championships from beach volleyball (CUSA Tournament) and softball (AAC Regular Season) and NCAA Tournament appearances from beach, softball and women’s tennis. It marks Florida Atlantic’s first spring season with three or more NCAA Tournament teams since the 2003-04 season

 

Men’s golfer Nashawn Tyson earned an individual NCAA Regional berth, while baseball is in fourth place in the AAC with one week remaining in the regular season.

*Dean’s List Members | ^ President’s List Members
 
Baseball (27): Adekide Adetuyi, Steven Andrews, Danny Baez, Trey Beard *, MJ Bollinger, Bryan Boully *, Carter Brady, Cole Frye ^, Emilio Gonzalez, TJ Gramesty Carter Holjes, Zach Kilby, Todd Kniebbe, Dylan Lapointe, Brando Leroux, Marshall Lipsey, Mark Loubier, John Martinez, Max Martzolf, Jake Millan, Dylan Murphy, Dylan Oborne, Braden Ostrander, Nick Romano, John Schroeder, AJ Shelton, Nick Wimberly
 
Men’s Basketball (11): Amar Amkou, Tre Carroll, Liam Dayco-Green *, Jack Johnson, Baba Miller, Mantas Kocanas, Max Langenfeld, Niccolo Moretti, Jakel Powell, Matas Vokietaitis, Leland Walker
 
Men’s Cross Country (6): Noah Curfman, Luke Gaudet, Paul Glick, Jake Jacoby, Donovan Petty, Enrique Toro
 
Football (57): Walker Adkinson, Alex Atcavage, Kam Bell *, Gabriel Birnbaum, Eric Brantley Jr., Nimari Brantley *, Michael Cates, Martavious Collins, Carson Cruver, Braden Cunningham, Wilky Denaud, CJ Doggette, Demerson Dort, Ovie Dubre, Josiah Farmer ^, Joshua Harriott, Leon Hart, Mauricio Hinds, Zyere Horton *, Alexander Kocher, RJ Lampkin, Jackson Lee, Dylan Lloyd, Tycoolhill Luman, Logan Lupo, Jordan Magwood, Federico Maranges, Gavench Marcelin, Maddox Marchbank, Robert Medici, Easton Messer, Devarius Mitchell, Justin Mucerino, Ja’Kavion Nonar, Tito Nunez, Wendol Philord, Brayden Ramey, Daughtry Richardson, Josh Roberts, Keon Rohe, Nick Salmon, Makai Sawtelle, Kaden Shields-Dutton, Thomas Sledge, Antonio Smith, Antonio Solano ^, Dai’Sean Stevens, Tyler Stolsky, Richard Thomas Jr., Chris Tooley III, Milan Tucker, Nikolas Tucker, Tremonte Underwood Jr., Michael Unis, Michael Valentino, Nicholas Venezia, Asaad Waseem *
 
Men’s Golf (7): Andres Atrio, Jack Brugman *, Ylan Guerin Pozzalo, Jake Hibbert *, Kaleb Palm, Ian Soderholm, Christian Veilleux
 
Men’s Soccer (29): Matthew Alfred, Elias Asikainen, Will Cain, Jozo Cancar, Caleb Chapman, Eli Conway, Fabrizzo Cubeddu, Mamadou Diarra, Matthew Gordon, Zach Hassell, Nick Kinina, Oliver Moller-Jensen, Jaiden Paniagua, Thiago Pires, Enzo Rabot, Andreas Raisanen, Francisco Ranieri, David Roberts, Mesfin Roda, Felipe Santos, Ethan Schumaker *, Harrison Solomon, Samir Spaulding, Kerfalla Toure, Aboubacar Traore, Ednilson Voiles, Fabian Wagner, Noel Williamson, Sebastian Zettl *
 
Men’s Swimming and Diving (21): Bennett Balogh ^, Luke Beals *, Andrew Billitto, Gianni Carlino ^, Akant Durur *, Taylor Eaton, Isac Faxius *, Takoda Heckman, Trevor Kuhn *, Daniel Laureyssens *, Peyton Ming *, Kaan Nalcaci, Timo Paisley, Brett Reason *, Jayden Repak, Jacob Rubin, Nick Shaffer, James Shevchenko, Payne Smith *, Logan Thornsberrry, Christoffer Weiss *
 
Men’s Tennis (9): John Bernard *, Segundo Goity Zapico, Mark Havlicek, Jiri Jenicek, Jan Kusy, Luca Miremont *, Simon Myslivec ^, Marek Pazdera *, Lucca Pignaton
 
Women’s Basketball (8): Lovisa Asbrink Hose, Kristina Godfrey ^, Ta’Ziah Jenks, Sydney Mains, Jada Moore, Maria Myklebust, Erin Rodgers, Evie Van Der Woude
 
Beach Volleyball (16): Ashleigh Adams ^, Sofia Connor, Brooklyn Goedhart, Julie Honzovicova ^, Kate McLaughlin, Kendall Mignerey, Kelsie Roberts, Mia Scanlon ^, Sydney Schroder, Maddie Sides ^, Shantel Starling ^, Kate Stoughton, Olivia Strandberg *, Marketa Svozilova ^, Klaire VanDeusen ^, Shayna Wolf
 
Women’s Cross Country (15): Reese Anderson ^, Holly Arrison, Ava Aseere, Astrid Baunge ^, Kayla Groppe, Jessica Hatch, Leah Helms, Emilee Moen, Grace Mueller, Isabel O’Brien, Constance Pittet ^, Anabell Reumann, Rosa ten Berg, Elyssa Toal, Andi VanMeter,
 
Women’s Golf (7): Miriam Barcalova, Nancy Cox, Olivia Florence, Autumn King, Charlotte Perkins, Maddie Rathjen, Giulia Scarcello
 
Softball (22): Sophia Camacho, Kiley Channell, Emilie Ching ^, Bella Cimino, Autumn Courtney ^, Corin Dammeier ^, Kelsey Endress ^, Bella Foran ^, Camrynn Guthrie, Yani Guzman, Kylie Hammonds, Destiny Johns ^, Brooke Kuczynski, Ainsley Lambert, Cameryn Orland, Abby Ota ^, Gabby Sacco, Jesiana Mora, Annika Segedi, Kiley Shelton, Emma Grace Williams, Chloe Yeatts
 
Women’s Soccer (23): Mallory Anderson, Kat Cunningham, Drew Dempsey, Daniella Diaz, Lida Dodge *, Leila Eternadi *, Lisa Fureh, Nikki Holland, Michelle Horan, Sutton Markee, Morgan McDonald, Malaya Melancon, Madison Micioni, Sammi Payne, Jianna Ramirez *, Simone Rivard-Roberts, Stella Rubidoux, Hailey Santiago, Kayla Siddiqi, Kristina Syragakis ^, Sofia Vodby, Iris Young, Sloane Young
 
Women’s Swimming (30): Bry Bellile, Bilu Bianchi, Taylor Brittain, Cica Carvalho ^, Roberta Circi, Sophia Clack, Lola Dragosavac, Megan Drover-Smith, Julia Earnshaw ^, Avery Floyd, Ella Freeman, Nula Gow, Riley Hersh, Lydia Lanahan, Dolores Margni, Talitha McEwan ^, Trinity McNall, Lotta Palsi *, Ludo Pavia, Maja Piotrowicz, Grace Powell *, Amelia Robertson ^, Yasemine Safargar *, Presley Staretz, Selina Staudenherz, Alex Stevens, Kasia Szlek, Riley Trout, Ocean Veldhouse, Aura Vilarrasa
 
Women’s Tennis (8): Panna Bartha, Victoria Gomez O’Hayon, Millie-Mae Matthews, Katrin Pavkova, Malwina Rowinska, Maya Shanok, Lexi Silna, Lara Smejkal *
 
Indoor and Outdoor Track (25): Reese Anderson ^, Holly Arrison, Ava Aseere, Astrid Baunge *, Jada Bohuis, Promise Cross, Abraiya Elam, Kayla Groppe, Jessica Hatch, Leah Helms, Kayla Hopkins, Laura Kuhn ^, Adriana Lopez, Emilee Moen, Sofia Molina, Katherine Mueller, Camilla Nicholas, Jordan O’Brien, Isabel O’Brien, Constance Pittet ^, Anabell Reumann, Rosa ten Berg, Elyssa Toal, Andi VanMeter, Richelle Williams
 
 
Volleyball (12): Maggie Allred, Brianna Anderson, Ava Camacho, Madison Dyer, Olivia Hart, Victoria Hensley, Isabelle Northam, Kayla Richardson, Katelynn Robine ^, Valeria Rosado, Kaila Ru, Noelle Stephens
 
Cheer (25): Alyssa Adler, Alexandra Banman, Alexis Burns, Selena Cartagena, Ellery Delworth, Lucas Devin, Chloe Fenwick, Natalia Fonzetti, Madison Ibone, Jake Jelenevsky, Tyaejah Jenkins, Meredith Lauther, Emma Morris, Olivia Notaro, Maya Podray, Gabriella Rivera, Alina Ruzzano, Emma Scarelli, Hannah Story, Gianna Stoffer, Savannah Stroop *, Logan Tuck, Sidney Vinnick, Hailey Ward, Kennedy White
 
Dance (21): Courtney Colletti ^, Charlotte Dill, Sara Faulkenberry, Addyson Finateri *, Addison Goguen, Sofia Gomez, Ellie Hogan, Mia June, Danielle Lapp, Sofia Laracuente, Lucy LeMonds, Paris Lugo, Carolina Montejo, Joseph Rea *, Marissa Ritz, Rachael Shepherd, Sophia Shepherd, Alex Texidor-Abel, Arianna Waldron, Ashley Walesh, Brooke Wilkens *
 

TOWSON, MD — At the 2025 ECAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the #4 men’s team was fifth and the women’s squad took seventh as action wrapped up on Wednesday at Goucher College.

FINAL RESULTS

On the men’s side:

– Arrington Rhym put himself in a tie at #20 in Division III with a PR mark in winning the high jump (2.06 meters)

– Max Owens hit a PR in the pole vault (4.75 meters)

On the women’s side:

– The 4×400 relay of Nyla Jones, Molly Lodge, Ava Reilly, Nevaeh Lorjuste turned in a season-best time of 3:44.72 putting the foursome in the top 10 in Division III which should punch its ticket to nationals. The time is a mere 0.13 seconds away from breaking the school record (3:44.60) as well.

 – First-place finishes went to Jasmine Broadway in the 200 meters (25.24) and Anna Sasse in the 3000 meter steeplechase (11:21.71).

Final selections to the 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be announced on Friday, May 16th. in a press release on NCAA.com. The championships kick off Thursday, May 22 and run through Saturday, May 24 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
 
 

For the first time in 45 years, Vanderbilt volleyball is back—and they’re already making history. This month, the team will embark on a 10-day tour of Japan, where they will train and scrimmage with local teams in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. Throughout the trip, they’ll immerse themselves in high-level athletic training while experiencing Japanese culture, language and tradition.

For many players, it will be their first time leaving the United States—a transformative experience made possible through a cross-campus partnership of Athletics, the Global Safety and Health team and the Department of Asian Studies.  

Radical collaboration in action 

Planning for the trip began with a connection between the Volleyball program and Vanderbilt’s Global Safety and Health team, which supports university-affiliated international travel. Tyler Walker, assistant director of Global Safety and Health, and Kimberly Williams, director of operations for volleyball, worked together to develop a “Preparing for Japan” miniseries to make sure the group felt informed, confident and excited for international travel. 

The collaboration was first sparked by Sabrina Kronk, Vanderbilt’s finance and travel manager and key member of the university’s travel support network. She connected Williams with the Global Safety and Health team. 

After learning Walker had lived in Japan, spoke the language and also played volleyball, the partnership took off.  

Spring sessions lay the groundwork

From February through April, the team participated in six interactive workshops and discussions designed specifically for the student-athletes and staff to build cultural understanding and confidence. Topics ranged from culture shock to basic Japanese to etiquette. Walker led the sessions alongside senior lecturer Asami Nakano from the Department of Asian Studies. A final, in-person pre-departure orientation on May 19 will cover safety practices and travel logistics. The team departs May 24 and will return June 3.

“Working with Global Safety and Health and the volleyball team has been an incredible experience,” Nakano said. “The Japanese phrase ‘一期一会‘ (ichigo ichie) resonates deeply with this opportunity, reminding us to seize the moment and make the most of it. I truly hope young, bright Vandy athletes will gain invaluable global perspectives and experiences through opportunities like this visit to Japan.” 

Opposite Gigi Mason said the sessions have helped bridge the cultural gap for the team. 

“Taking these classes and learning about the culture of Japan,” she said, “reassures us that although we’re outsiders coming in, we won’t truly be like fish out of water.” 

Mason is especially excited to explore Japan’s rich cultural heritage. “Usually, you don’t see that kind of history in America, but those types of structures have been there for hundreds of years and are still preserved.” 

Beyond the court: Gearing up for the season

More than a series of matches, this journey gives the team a chance to strengthen their connection, gain global perspective and sharpen their skills ahead of their debut season. 

“This trip is an incredible opportunity for our team to not only challenge themselves physically by competing against elite international teams, but also to grow mentally through immersion in a new culture and environment,” Williams said. 

She added, “These classroom sessions have been a powerful way to collaborate with campus partners and make the most of Vanderbilt’s resources in preparing for this experience. A huge thank-you to Tyler for planning the content for our sessions, and to Professor Nakano for equipping our team with essential Japanese language and cultural knowledge ahead of our travels.”

Get an inside look at the team’s journey in Japan by following @VandyVolleyball on social media.